Everyday We're Battling
by Dawnheart98
Summary: The adventures of Danni and her friends: Julian, Ruon, Maru, Shuna, and Al. Can they save Vestroia? Will Masquerade kill everything? *they are IC gender swapped. rating: K ch 1-7, T ch 8-
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Hey, you! Let's battle!"

A black haired girl was leaning against the brick wall, looking really shady, even though she was in a girly light green top, embellished with a satin ribbon around her waist. She wore tiny jean shorts that elongated her thin legs, and finally, dark green-black flats.

"What, too afraid?" the bully taunted. "You should be-but that's no reason to not battle! You can meet new friends! Battling shows the opponent into the other's soul."

"Danni, we've known each other since second grade."

One of the bully's eyebrows twitched. "Ah-ah-"

The black haired girl emerged from the shadows, tossing a tiny, gumball sized object repeatedly as she stalked towards the bully. She flipped her shiny bangs over her forehead; she sighed nonchalantly, but her ebony eyes glinted with challenge. "You really want to battle, huh?"

"Yeah, okay-"

"Okay, let's do this!"

"Bakugan field, open!"

"Why-what's going on-"

"We're in the battle zone, Danni dear," Shuna said in a high pitched coo that set Danni off the edge. She was the other side of the vast void swirling with the colors of the six elements: haos (light), darkkus (dark), subterra (earth), aquas (water) , ventus (wind), and pyrus (fire). "I hope you've battled at least once before-considering the amount of boasting you do!"

"Okay-okay-fine!"

"Game card, set!" Shuna yelled, throwing the card, invisible to Danni at the moment, since it was small, into the middle of the field. It glowed and expanded to many times its previous size. One half the game field was set.

"Hurry it up, _Your Highness_," Shuna yelled. "We're waiting."

"Okay!" Danni chose a card, frantically thinking of a strategy to go along with it. "Game card, set!" Danni yelled, flinging the card with all her might, extending her shoulder blade. The card soared dramatically forward, then, to Danni's great dismay, it floated back and landed at her feet. It exploded with light, and expanded to its full game form. Danni screeched and jumped back, falling over backward, luckily still floating.

Shuna looked in a skyward direction, annoyance rolling off of her in tsunami waves.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Danni wailed. "Um… what do I do now?"

"Battle long distance?"Shuna suggested dryly.

"R-right," Danni said. "Uh-"

"Bakugan, brawl!" Shuna yelled. She threw her small ball onto the playing field, and it erupted into a beautifully dangerous monster; it's green metallic feathers gleamed, and it let out a roar of pride from its silver beak. "Bakugan, stand! Go, Skyrim!"

"Okay, Ventus Skyrim, pretty predictable," Danni said, trying to hide the butterflies in her stomach. "I think I'll send you! Bakugan, brawl!" Danni threw the marble like ball with the same intensity that she applied to the game card. It didn't work out so well.

"Danni, where are you trying to battle?" Shuna groaned. "This is a waste of time! I can't believe I decided to humor you."

"Hey, I don't need humoring!" Danni squeaked, trying to scramble after her Bakugan. "Dragini, come back! Where are you going?"

"I'm not going anywhere, silly girl."

Danni stopped in her tracks. "What?"

"That… was… weird…"

"You don't say?" Shuna replied in a sarcastic tone.

"I can't believe Dragini can talk!"

"Well, she just did. So….."

"Okay, okay, jeez!" Danni cried, "Give me a break!"

"When you deserve one, you will get one."

"Hey, guys, what's up?"

Danni smiled as a short blonde girl skipped up to them. "Hi, Maru!" Danni exclaimed. "Shuna and I were just battling."

"Oh, my, that sounds like an interesting story," Maru twittered, "but unfortunately, we don't have time for it today."

"Why?" Danni cocked her head, her dark brown bangs falling over her forehead.

"We have a Bakugan Brawlers meeting in five!" Maru informed them, her voice shaking with her energy.

"No, we don't," Danni laughed. "That's tomorrow!"

"No, they changed it to today." Shuna informed her. "I just received a notification on my gaming device."

"Of course you did," Danni muttered her breath, adjusted her green goggles that doubled as a headband.

"Well, come on, then!" Maru cried.

"Hiiiiiii, Danni!"

Danni sighed inwardly at the exuberant cry. _This should be interesting, _she thought, _as usual._

"I missed you soooo much!"

Danni was practically tackled by a tan, muscular boy that was more than a head taller than her.

"Give it a break, Julian," Maru said. "You saw Danni yesterday."

"But it's been so long," Julian said, his big deep blue eyes wide and taking in Danni's every feature.

"Okay, I can't breathe," Danni said. "You'll never see me again if I die."

Julian hopped back. "Are you okay?" he burst out, his shaggy white hair rustling with the motion. Danni nodded silently.

"Julian, could you be any more desperate? Or obvious?"

Danni turned her gaze to the final group member of their "posse". He was a lean, blue haired boy of average structure, but was still a few inches taller than Danni. He looked at Julian with almost disgust.

"You can't hide true love," Julian laughed, staring into Danni's eyes and grinning. Danni wanted to avert her gaze, but she didn't want Julian to think she was mad at him; he would be one to overanalyze things. Though this was getting a bit awkward...

"Totally," Danni muttered halfheartedly; even so, Julian practically fell back with happiness, pink hearts floating around his head. He brought down Maru with him-Shuna jumped away just in time to save herself.

"We're late!" Maru exclaimed from under Julian's huge form. "Can you get off me?" came the muffled cry.

"Sorry," Julian said, getting up, and offering his hand to Maru. She jumped up with a simple glare.

"It's just our meeting, so there's nothing to be worried about," Ruon said, running his hand through his turquoise blue hair. He looked miffed about something. _You weren't the one creamed by Shuna, _Danni wanted to snap at him. _Stop looking to mopey. _

"Um…. well…." Maru stammered, suspiciously not meeting any of her friends' gazes. "There might be someone else crashing the party…."

Danni's red-brown eyes widened in surprise. She broke off into a run into Maru's mansion of a house, leaving her friends exclaiming in surprise behind her.

"Who is that?" Danni exclaimed, her mouth agape, and her pointed finger shaking in surprise.

"Have you never seen a dragonoid before?" the mini white dragon exclaimed bitterly from its enclosed form.

"Wavern?" Dragini gasped, jumping out of Danni's coat pocket. "What are you doing here?"

"Is that really a way to treat an old friend?" the white dragonoid asked Dragini, its deep voice filled with laughter.

"It's been so long!" Dragini agreed wholeheartedly, jumping from Danni's shoulder on to the desk next to him.

"Wait, you know that thing?" Danni blurted, looking from Dragini to the other dragon in shock.

"Thing?" the white dragon's rage blew Danni's bangs back over her head. "How dare you!" He turned to Dragini. Danni wondered whether the new dragon was shielding Dragini protectively, but decided that she was just imagining it. They were just dragons after all. "Dragini," the dragon exclaimed, "does this girl treat you like that?"

"No-no-not usually," Dragini breathed, her green eyes glinting at Danni.

"Well, sorry, jeez, I'm just surprised and confused," Danni grumbled.

"So you're the stupid one they were talking about," Wavern countered, his voice dripping with abhorrence.

Danni's mouth twitched in silent anger.

"That was an interesting introduction," Maru said feebly.

"That's what we get for sending Danni in first," Shuna murmured.

"So, what is all this about?" Danni asked.

"I was going to explain nicely, before you disturbed the peace," the white dragon explained icily.

"Sorry, Wavern," Dragini said in a small , tired voice. "Danni is still a child. She can't control her actions that well."

Danni looked at Dragini, feeling betrayed, but stayed silent.

"Hey, Danni is-" Julian began, and Danni held up her palm.

"It's okay, Julian, just let the _mature adults_, talk it out," Danni said; she inhaled and exhaled slowly, glaring at Shuna and Maru. The black haired girl smirked back, but Maru's light blue eyes watered with pain.

"Our world, where all bakugan come from, is in danger," the dragon said.

"What?" Dragini yelped, her voice spiking with shock. "When I left, it was bad, but it seemed that it was going to get better soon."

"That is not so, dear Dragini," the dragon sighed.

"Dear?" Danni couldn't help interrupting, again, this time feeling as if Dragini was her own daughter. "What's going on here?"

"If you listened instead of talked, you would know a lot more," Shuna murmured.

"I like you," the dragon asserted. Shuna nodded in his direction coolly.

"Thanks," she replied.

"What do we do?" Dragini asked in a frenzy, shaking. "What can I do? Take me back now!"

"Hold up," Danni spoke up again. "You can't just take away Dragini from me!" She glared at the new dragon.

"Actually, Dragini never belonged to you, so stop acting like you ever even knew Dragaini."

"That is not true!" Danni retorted. "Dragini and I are best friends!"

"You haven't even known Dragini for half as long as I've known her-not even close," Wavern snapped. "If Dragini wants to go home, then she will and you can't do anything about it!"'

Danni looked at Dragini in pain, reality suddenly crushing her. Dragini came from a bakugan world? All bakugan came from a bakugan world? That world was in danger? Dragini was needed to save it?

"Dragini, do you want to go home?" Danni asked in a voice that almost a whisper.

Dragini didn't reply immediately. "I.. have to…" She replied in a choked voice.

Danni looked at her sneakered feet. She turned and walked out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Danni? Danni!" Julian cried, turning to run after the brown haired girl.

Shuna held onto Julian's wrist with surprising strength. "Don't," she said sternly.

Julian glared at the black haired girl. "Danni needs us right now! She's about to lose one of her best friends! Maybe you don't know how that feels because-"

"Julian, stop," Maru cried. "You don't know what you're saying!"

"I do, very well," Julian snapped, wrenching his hand from Shuna's grip. "You can't stop me from being a good friend, that you never were!"

Julian ran out of the room, leaving a heavy silence in the air.

"This is not going to end well," Ruon said, glaring at the wall in front of him, his back to the door.

"Wavern, I am so sorry about this," Maru whispered, her large blue eyes filling with tears.

"Children can't be trusted with such pressing matters as these," the dragon said in a tired voice, his gaze downward. "I shouldn't have said so much in front of her." He looked at Dragini. "Come on. We have to prepare for departure."

The dragon hopped across the desk and flew out the windows. Dragini looked at the doorway -longingly, perhaps?-but turned to follow the dragon.

"When will you be leaving, Dragini?" Maru asked, her voice choked and high pitched.

Dragini looked at the blonde girl slowly. Dragini admired Maru, almost as much as she admired and cared for Danni; Maru was so caring, and, even if they didn't know it, her friends would be lost without her. "I don't know, Maru," Dragini admitted. "Whenever Wavern is ready."

"Will we ever see you again?" Ruon asked. "Will we ever see Danni again?"

"I don't know… about me, at least," Dragini replied truthfully. "Danni, but, of course? Why wouldn't you?"

Ruon didn't reply.

"We'll miss you, Dragini," Maru said sadly.

"Bye, all," Dragini nodded respectfully towards the kids. "I will miss you too."

With that, the regal Pyrus dragonoid jumped from the window, possibly never to be seen again.

Danni ran all the way home, tears threatening to crash from her eyes. Her cropped red jacket flapped in the wind as she dodged people and shrubbery. She heard the faint sound of someone calling her name. She didn't dare look back. In a few more moments, the sound was surprisingly close. And recognizable.

There was no way that Danni could outrun Julian-but that didn't stop her from trying. She tried to find the strength to pick up the pace. She was already running as fast as she could, and she couldn't hold out for long. They were on the highway now-more of a small town main road, of course-and Danni was encouraged. _Almost there. _Suddenly, her leg buckled. She shrieked in pain, and before she knew it, was tumbling down the hill and into the water.

"Danni!" Julian called again. Danni could only hold her breath to keep from screaming. The rocks had cut her skin and now she was soaking wet. The striking cold didn't sooth her. She lied down in the water panting and hurting.

She heard frantic splashing draw nearer and nearer. She felt strong hands turn her over, and sure enough, Julian's tanned, worried face was in view.

"Danni, are you okay?"

"Nothing," Danni choked, reaching into her cargo-shorts pocket for her bakugan. Could bakugan get wet? Danni didn't know much of anything anymore.

Julian's worry didn't lessen (not surprisingly). "Let me help you up," Julian said. "Come on, you can do it." Julian literally carried Danni to the shore. He set her down on a patch of grass.

"Just breath," Julian said. Danni broke out into another fit of coughing. Danni didn't realize it before Julian did, but she was crying. All Danni could feel was Julian drawing her into his chest. He rocked her back and forth. They were silent for a few minutes, except for Danni's broken gasps for air.

"Dragini will be okay," Julian finally said.

"Don't lie to me," Danni spat water, pushing herself away from the white haired boy.

"Da-"

"If her world really is in danger," Danni said, feeling dizzy, "then we don't know-and she-it won't be-I will never-"

"Calm down. It's okay."

"STOP SAYING THAT!" Danni screeched again. "It will never be okay, never ever ever-"

"I'm going to help you home. And you are going to cooperate."

Danni looked up at Julian. His aura had suddenly changed-his voice too: sterner, deeper.

"Dragini-" Danni whimpered.

"You will first calm down and dry off," Julian said.

"You can't-"

"Oh, yes, I can," Julian said. "You need my help. I have my conditions."

Danni allowed Julian to carry her wherever he wanted to take her. When he was at her doorstep, Danni realized that he was at her house. Danni hardly heard her mother screech in surprise, or felt Julian's muscles tense as he climbed the stairs and finally set her down in her room. "Change into dry clothes, then go and talk to your mother. She's probably worried sick. I'm coming back tomorrow to check on you-just stay and _rest_, okay?"

Danni didn't respond. She didn't notice the hurt in Julian's dark blue eyes. He finally turned around and left.

Danni sat on the floor for who knows how long. Finally her mother came and yelled at her and forced her to change into clean clothes. She fed Danni warm soup and sent her to bed. When Danni's mother turned out the lights, Danni's mind became alive. _You think I'm just a damsel in distress? _She thought to Julian, feeling rage bubble in her. _Think again! Check on me-I don't need checking on, not me! _Danni sat up slowly as to not creak the bed. She changed her clothes again, found sneakers, and finally snapped her goggles into place atop her head. _Ready! _She thought, winking at herself in the mirror. She opened the window, the sudden cold surprising her. She stepped onto the roof, shivering in her black tank top and signature red cropped jacket. _Dragini, I'm not giving you up without a fight!_

The meeting had broken up awkwardly. Ruon suggested that they continue it with school gossip-sarcastically, of course-but it wasn't received with much praise. Neither was his comment about Danni usually overreacting to things.

"That's how much you know," Maru snapped, turning on her heel. "All of you are dismissed from my property!"

"Permanently?" Ruon asked.

Maru sniffed, not looking at him. "We'll see!"

Ruon grinned at the small blonde, flicking her hair. She stepped away from him sharply, her sky blue eyes glinting with anger.

"You know you love me," Ruon grinned at her. He was literally kicked out of this house after that one.

The blue haired boy decided to find somewhere to lick his wounds. As odd as it sounded, their Brawler meeting wasn't the weirdest thing that happened that day-to him. Ryon reached into his pocket, his fingertips brushing the five small balls-he knew they were pearly white with yellow designs etched into them; he felt a pang of sadness at the lack of a bakugan. He had lost it in battle today. He didn't know what happened or how it happened or why or - just that, apparently, his Wulferio was gone. Forever.

His lips were in a thin line at the thought. _No wonder you aren't even ranked! _Other taunts like that ran through his mind. He hadn't even realized that his hand was clenched in a fist. Droplets of blood sprang from the middle of his palm. He cursed and wiped the blood on his shirttail. _I am ranked. Just so far that no one has the patience to scroll down that far! _

Ruon was now creeping around the town in the cool moonlight. He didn't feel like going home, but couldn't really go anywhere else. His parents wouldn't notice his absence anyway, he noted with bitterness. He dug into his pocket again, and searched for a bakugan. The one he was looking for was different, even in touch. He brought it out. The white marble like ball glinted in the moonlight, the yellow and silver marking striking against the sheen. _Will you talk to me? _he asked his Haos Tigrerra. _Or do bakugan only talk to… special people?_

Speaking of special people…? Ruon was surprised to find himself on Danni's street. He felt a rush of disgust-at whom, he wasn't sure-so much so that he was about to sprint off the street. But something stronger-curiosity, perhaps?-brought Ruon to continue down the street. _Which is Danni's house? _Ruon asked himself. It was almost a rhetorical question; he knew it quite well. A loud _twack _soared through the previously silent night, into Ruon's ears. He froze in fear, even though he was in plain sight if someone were to come sweeping with a flashlight. _Burglars? At Danni's? _Ruon immediately thought. _Or worse?_ He ran, but tried to keep his footsteps silent. He put his back against Danni's house; he hid beside the generators. He crept forward, keeping close to them. He saw a figure on the roof, making its' way slowly down.

_Is that Danni's room? _Ruon wondered. _Does the burglar have a bag to stash his hoard? _The figure was slim though-not a hulking oaf like you'd expect. Suddenly, Ruon realized it was Danni. _What the heck is she doing? _He was about to call to her… A thought made him smirk. _What would she be doing in the middle of the night? _… He watched her climb down the ladder and disappear behind the corner. He took long silent strides behind her, his excitement climbing. _I guess I'll have to find out! _


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Danni was freezing. _Freezing. _But the thought of her Pyrus Dragonoid warmed her up-fired her up to find Dragini. The walk to Maru's house was long. Danni couldn't get out her bike from the garage for obvious reasons. And there was really no other way. The car was the same problem… besides the fact that Danni didn't have a license yet. Not for a year, she wouldn't.

Danni was at Maru's house. Danni didn't have a step two. Tiny little marble sized balls could be anywhere at this time of night. They could be crushed by cars, or eaten by birds, or taken away in the trash, or kicked into a sewer… _Or gone by now… _Danni wrinkled her nose, and shook her head to get rid of the thought. _Please don't be gone yet._

Suddenly, a bright light flashed from the river on the other side of Maru's field of a back lawn. Danni ran towards it, trying to shield her eyes, but wanting to see what in the _hey_ was going on. She brought down her goggles over her eyes. _Hm, there's actually a use for these, _she thought, as she ran full speed ahead towards the possible fray.

Frankly, there was only one thing that _that thing _could be. And it was bakugan stuff.

"Dragini!" Danni cried.

"Uh?"

The sound of Dragini's voice was like music to her ears. "Oh, you aren't gone yet! I am so happy!"

"Stay back! STAY AWAY!"

"What?" Danni's head swarmed with confusion. All of it just made her run faster into the white light.

Danni heard her name being called, but it was a distant noise. All she could think about was the feeling of her body being ripped apart at the molecular level. She screamed in pain. Her bangs flapped frantically in the wind.

"Danni, why don't you ever listen to me?" Dragini roars echoed in the portal as they descended to who knows where.

Danni fell to the ground without a noise. "Ow…."

"I can't believe she followed us."

"I didn't know humans could enter this world."

"They do, every time they play that silly game. Our lives are not games, which they can't seem to understand."

"I'm right here," Danni glared accusing down at the ground, only to see four colossal feet, two red, two white. She looked up several feet and saw Dragini's and Wavern's regal heads inclined toward her.

Dragini's green eyes were closed and she shook her head. "Danni, you can't be here!"

"I want to help you," Danni pleaded. "I don't want to lose you."

"That sounds very noble at first," sighed Wavern, "but you will just get in the way."

"So, where are we?"

Danni jumped up in fright and turned around. "What are _you_ doing here?" Danni squeaked shaking a finger at the blue haired boy.

"Jeez, I just went through torturous pain-" Ruon was about to say _for you _but cut himself off. "Shut up," he ordered instead. "I can do what I want!"

"Niga!" Wavern suddenly exlaimed.

"Uh?" Danni wondered, looking around. She shrieked again.

"Ow, jeez," Ruon complained rather lightly, but he froze in terror at the sight.

"There are TWO Waverns?" Danni gasped.

"No, that is Niga, Wavern's twin sister," Nagini growled. "And a very evil bakugan!"

"Ah, hahahahaha," Niga chortled. Her high pitched voice was annoying, and much different than Wavern's. "You say evil, I say potato!"

"What?" Danni blinked.

"I envision a new universe, filled with…" Niga tilted her white head. "Cool stuff."

"I will never let you get away with this!" Dragini said.

. "We won't," Wavern said, stepping up beside Dragini.

"As if you can stop me," Niga sniffed. "Nothing will stop me from swallowing the Infinity AND Silent Cores!"

"Let's battle!" Dragini snarlred.

"Yeah-" Wavern began, but Dragini knocked him over. He skidded and landed several feet away.

"Hey-what-" Wavern spluttered, sounding completely offended.

"This is between me and Niga!" Dragini snarled.

"And me!" Danni yelled. "I'm on your side, always, Dragini!"

"No-wait-" Dragini stammered.

"BAKUGAN BRAWL!"'

"No fair!" Niga cried. "You get back up?" She turned her black and red gaze to Ruon. "You, human! Come hither!"

"Whoa, wait a minute, I'm not battling for you," Ruon said, taking a step back.

"Oh, yes, you are!" Niga cackled. Ruon's bakugan balls began floating from out of his pocket and into the battle field.

"Hey!" he protested, but it was in vain.

Another flash occurred, and another human stepped out of the vortex! It was a boy-possible their age-with a white lab over coat, blonde spiky hair and shiny blue oversized sunglasses.

"Hey, who are you exactly?" Ruon inquired pointedly.

"I'm here to battle for Niga," he said smoothly.

"Then you don't need me," Ruon deduced.

The blonde appeared by Ruon, standing threateningly in front of him. "Niga and I are a team, much like that girl and the Pyrus Dragonoid, and you and your Haos Tigrerra. You _are_ still needed."

"Whoa, how do you know about Tigrerra?"

"And, like we said before, who are you, anyway?" Danni ignored Ruon's (obviously invalid) querry.

"Does it matter?" the blonde questioned.

"Yeah, you are just coming into our battle, barging in and such," Ruon said.

"You can call me Masquerade if it's all the same to you," he replied.

"If it's all the same to you, you are a -," Ruon said something that sounded like "grass mole," but was much more insulting.

Danni looked from Ruon to Masquerade. "Without further ado, let the battle begin!" Danni cried.

"Pyrus Griffon! Fire tornado!"

100 G's were leeched from Niga.

"How completely elementary," Masquerade smirked. "But good job, anyway. Not really, but I'm trying to be nice, you see."

"I don't see," Danni muttered.

"Well, whatever. Gate card, open: Dimension Four."

"Well, darn," Danni scowled. Griffon looked back at her with distrust as the G's were taken back. _Watch it, _she mentally told him.

"And we take the battle to the air," Ruon said, as Masquerade unleashed Haos Ravenoid. The bird screeched frighteningly.

"Dragini! Fire Wall!" Danni watched Ruon; he sent her a dirty look. Danni mentally responded by being happy to see G's being sucked from the metal raven.

"Spark out!" Ruon replied, smirking and rendering Fire Wall useless.

"What the heck?" Danni protested.

"Can you stop randomly throwing out cards and remember _how_ your opponents battle?" Dragini snarled. "You are so useless."

"I've never battled that blonde guy before!" Danni protested. "H-Hey-!"

"What about _Ruon_?" Dragini hissed.

Danni sniffed, and set her stance. She took a deep breath. "Ability card, activate! Rapid Fire! Go, Warius!"

"Did you _really_ just choose him?" Dragini sighed, as the big ogre-like bakugan roared out onto the field.

"What? He's cool. And you need help."

"I don't need help," Dragini snarled. She extended her wings and attacked the Darkus bakugan on the field.

"Can bakugan do that?" Ruon blinked in wariness.

"Apparently they can now," Masquerade responded to Ruon.

Meanwhile, Niga seemed to be having a suspiciously good time. "Ahahahaha, you silly idiot, yes, you do," Niga hooted. "You are losing! LOSING BIG TIME!"

"Shut up," Ruon snapped.

"Who's side are you on?" Niga asked.

"Not your ugly face's," Ruon said.

"Hey, that's insulting Wavern, too, you know." Niga said. "We're twins."

"Shut up." Dragini said.

"Shut up, and fight!" the blonde snapped at him, watching his Reaper take swings at Danni's dragonoid.

"Can we stop telling each other to shut up and just get along?" Danni asked. "I'm getting a headache.

"We are battling each other," Dragini said.

"This is what happens when too many bakugan battle at the same time!" Niga yelled.

Ruon sighed and looked up at his yellow winged bird. "Ravenoid, I suppose you should do something, too," Ruon said.

The Ravenoid looked at Ruon, almost in surprise. His expression was like, _girl, please. _Danni would have laughed if it didn't look like Dragini was getting creamed.

"Warius! GO!" Danni screeched.

"Now, you send pathetic excuse of a bakugan to help me," Dragini grunted, her feet set on the round, holding off Reaper with considerable effort. She trembled with the effort.

"Stop being so ungrateful, Dragini," Niga sneered from across the field. "She is being so helpful! Too _us_, anyway!" She cackled shrilly.

Warius bumbled over to Reaper. The Darkus bakugan looked at Warius with disinterest. rolled his eyes. "You are a stupid bakugan," Reaper seemed to be saying. "You dimwitted fool. I am a god. I don't play with little children."

Warius smashed his thorn-studded mace into the Reaper. The reaper screeched in pain, skidding across the field. _Puny god, _Warius seemed to be saying.

"Whoo hooo!" Danni exclaimed. "Go Warius! Look what I'm doing, Ruon? And what are you doing? Um, let me see, nothing?"

"This is just the beginning," Ruon snapped.

"What are you trying to do, twit?" Dragini asked. "Why are you fighting your friend when your real enemy is right here?"

"It's not me fighting," Ruon said. "That guy is controlling my bakugan!"

"No, you really want this, don't you?" the blonde said. "Don't deny it, and don't lie. Lying is bad."

While Warius pounded his mace against Reaper mercilessly, Masquerade floated another Haos bakugan into the field.

"Hey, can you even do that?" Ruon exclaimed in surprise.

"Who cares? There are no rules to this game," Masquerade said. "Gate card, set!" he yelled, throwing out a shiny card that illuminated the field. "Bakugan, brawl! Haos Tuskor, stand!"

"Yeah, there are, what are you talking about?" Danni asked.

"How would you know?" Masquerade snorted. "You don't even know how to play."

"What have we been doing this whole time?" Danni's head was shrouded in anger.

"Throwing balls and cards around and yelling random things."

"That's what the game is about!"

"This is not the time to be entering a philosophical debate over bakugan brawling!" Dragini snarled, taking a direct his to the head from Warius's mace. "Who's side are you on, anyway?" Dragini snarled at it.

"If it weren't for that stupid girl's conjectures-"

"You are as stupid as her," Dragini barked.

"Rapid Haos!" Masquerade yelled, ignoring Dragini's jab. Juggernoid exploded onto the field, crying in rage

"Are you kidding me?" Ruon exclaimed. "Give me back my bakugan, you petty thief! Or and let me battle on my own!"

"You won't battle against your friends," Masquerade said, "You are too lame and noble."

"I am not lame and noble!" Ruon countered promptly.

"No, you are definitely not noble, and that is why you will never get a girlfriend." Danni put in.

Ruon gaped at the brown haired girl. _This is supposed to be a bakugan battle?_

Meanwhile, the bakugan on the battlefield were not faring well. Haos Juggernoid stumbled over Darkus Reaper and Pyrus Griffon. Griffon tossed its proud head and pounced on Juggernoid. The huge metal turtle barely felt anything. Reaper leapt into the air, executing ninja like speed, and flying-kicked Griffon off of Juggernoid.

"This is madness," Ruon said, watching his poor bakugan stumble over one another, and randomly hit things.

Danni blinked in agreement at the crowded field. Seven bakugan at once-she had never seen anything like this before! And so few gate cards. Limited space. Overpopulation. What was Niga saying about too many bakugan at the beginning of this fiasco? _This is getting interesting, _she thought. _Not that it wasn't always weird to begin with!_

"This isn't madness," Niga declared, rising up above the battle field, taking on a glowing sheen. "This is VESTROIA!"

"All of this is giving me a head ache," Masquerade sighed.

"You are? You're the one that caused this mess," Ruon glared.

"Actually it was Niga's idea."

"Let's blame it all on the princess, shall we?" the element-less dragonoid drawled.

"Gate card, open," Masquerade almost whispered in a melodramatic way. An impressive and ominous wind blew through Masquerade's blonde spikes. It reached Danni's layered brown mane, sifting through its steps; then it went to Ruon, it's airy fingers pushing his sky blue hair back. (In the real world, it didn't make sense, since Ruon was _next _to Masquerade, therefore he should have his hair rustled before Danni. Furthermore, if they are in a spacious type place, there shouldn't be a breeze. But this isn't the real world. THIS IS VESTROIA!)

"Doom Dimension, open."

"Dragini!" Danni shrieked, running on the gate cards, climbing over Haos Juggernoid and Haos Tuskor.

"What is this maddness?" Dragini yelled.

"The Doom Dimension!" Wavern exclained from the sidelines.

"No, not the Doom Dimension!"

"Tuskor! Juggernoid!" Ruon called out to his bakugan.

Masquerade chuckled darkly. His evil laughter turned into cries of victory. "And the battle is won!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Griffon? NO!" Danni cried.

The bakugan exploded into an even louder clamor of angry wails and screeches then before.

"Yes! The perfect way to end a battle!" Niga roared. "Rise, my beautiful Doom Dimension!"

"What is happening?" Danni cried. "Griffon-no!"

"Who cares about your Griffon?" Ruon asked. "My Tuskor-and my Juggernoid!"

"And not a single bakugan was spared that day," Masquerade's evil chuckle crescendoed into peals of poison pointed laughter. "Good bye, Danni Kuso!"

A bright flash of light exploded in the middle of the field, blinding everyone. Danni cried out in pain, reaching for her Griffon. But it was already gone.

Danni and Ruon hit the ground, rolling several feet before limply stopping. Danni's face was towards the ground. Dust went up her nose and into her mouth as she panted heavily. She squeezed her eyes shut. She could almost feel moisture there. _Will Griffon be okay? _Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two Pyrus bakugan balls. _Warius and Dragini? _Danni wondered hopefully.

"What the buck was that?" Ruon gasped from several feet away. Danni still didn't get up.

"Danni? Danni!" Ruon glared at the limp body across from him. _Get up, _he silently ordered her. _Danni Kuso, _he thought in the voice of the chilling and super creepy Masquerade. _Don't care about me, hm? _he thought, feeling anger boil inside of him. _Not a good bye or farewell to me, when it was my bakugan you abused and sent to death?_

"W-" Danni breathed, her body throbbing in pain.

"Are you okay? Can you answer me already?"

"Sorry, Mr. Demandy-pants!" she cried, turning over abruptly. That upset a torn muscle, and she flinched in pain.

"S-sorry," Ruon's voice came as a whisper.

"Whatever," Danni snapped back.

"Danni, do you know what just happened?" Dragini asked sharply, jumping up and down on Danni's head mercilessly.

"Uh-ow-" Danni grunted.

"You sent three bakugan to the Doom Dimension!"

"What's the Doom Dimension?"

"What does it sound like to you, genius?" Ruon snapped scornfully, glaring. "Bakugan go there to their dooms!"

"Bakugan can never get out of the Doom Dimension," Dragini said gravely, "and now you have just sent three bakugan there in one battle!"

"That's awful. I'm sorry! I didn't know!" Danni cried.

"No surprise there," Ruon muttered darkly.

Danni rounded on him. "If you are so smart, how did you know about it?"

"I've battled, apparently more than you have lately." Ruon sniffed, unfazed.

"Oh, I've battled plenty, too," Danni roared. "Maybe it's because I haven't been _losing_?"

Ruon growled. "You haven't been losing, and suddenly I have been? Let's not jump to conclusions."

"There is nothing to jump to," Danni retorted. "Have you seen your ranking? It's dropping down, _down, down_," Danni said, pointing to the floor.

"Why have you checked on my ranking," Ruon scowled. "Don't you have yourself to worry about?"

"I check up on all of my friends!" Danni said. "Because I'm a _good _friend!"

"You just sent two of my bakugan to the Doom Dimension," Ruon said. "That's what you call a good friend?"

Danni's eyes watered. Ruon turned away and began to run. "Thanks for nothing! I hope you lose your Bakugan too! Then you'll see how it feels."

Danni wailed. She scooped up Dragini and ran from the place. She battled a few witches ferociously. She even gained a new bakugan: Pyrus Stinglash. None of it made her feel better.

"Danni, stop this," Dragini said. She had watched with a pained heart as Danni threw out bakugan after bakugan, carefully avoiding putting Dragini in battle, and ensuring that her battling bakugan had the highest g power posisble. Danni's ranking would certainly jump (perhaps-it could be that all the people she had been battling this whole time had been unranked, and her number would stay the same) but Dragini presumed that her actions were not only about ranking at this point.

"Stop what?" Danni gasped, falling down on the cobblestone path. Dragini looked around. They were in a pretty park (complete with a fountain, flower garden, benches, small pond, etc.). Children laughed and played during the last few minutes of sunlight. A few couples roamed around, hand in hand. Dragini thought of Wavern. _Is he okay? What happened when Masquerade or Niga forced that portal to open? _She turned her attention back to her human, feeling helplessly self-centered because of her thoughts.

"Let's go home and rest," Dragini suggested. "You can call a Brawler meeting tomorrow and talk about what happened."

"I don't _want _to talk about what happened! Why do they need to know? This is Ruon and my problem!" Danni grunted.

"This is a bakugan problem," Dragini said. "You are not the only brawler who lost a bakugan to the Doom Dimension. I still can't believe that Masquerade can control it."

"Did you know Niga and Wavern from before?" Danni suddenly asked.

"Before what?"

"Me."

"Yeah, I knew them before you. You are so young. We are so…old." Dragini chuckled.

"You can't that old."

"You have no idea."

"You don't act old," Danni grinned at her bakugan despite her mood. She sighed again, remembering. "Do you like Wavern?"

Dragini stammered at the question. "Yeah," Dragini finally said. "I used to, anyway."

"Uh?" Danni asked, prompting the story.

"Nothing," Dragini muttered.

"Awwwww, tell me!" Danni squealed.

"Keep it down," Dragini hissed, glancing around the slowly emptying park. "Can we go home?"

"So you can tell me in private?"

"No, so you can outline your speech about the Doom Dimension."

"Speech! No way, no how, I hate speeches!"

"You sure like to talk, though."

Dragini grinned on the inside as Danni got up and walked home, all the while arguing lovingly with her guardian bakugan. _Danni, I am glad that you are okay; _but she couldn't allow herself to think _for now._

Ruon watched Danni walk away, the unmistakable grin on her face for Dragini.

"You are such a wimp," came a deep, mature voice from almost behind him. He spazzed out in fright.

"What was that for, Tigrerra?"

"You are a wimp."

Ruon turned his gaze towards Danni's back. He came to the park for a purpose. And he failed. Miserably. Here, surrounded by people he didn't know or care about, was where he could be truly free, and watch Danni for who she really was.

"I think Danni was right with what she said back there," Tigrerra said.

"What, that we definitely shouldn't have a brawler meeting tomorrow?" Ruon said, inwardly hopeful.

"No-I agree with Dragini on that-she's so wise."

"You _do_ have a crush on her."

"No-you-ah. I meant that when Danni said that you will never have a girlfriend."

Ruon glared at the blue eyed, yellow striped ball. "Yeah, because that is my life's only dream."

"It makes life complete."

"I see why you think Dragini is so wise," Ruon retorted, "because you aren't at all."

By now, Danni was far out of sight. Ruon was going make her apologize to him (and secretly was going to apologize to her as well-if he felt like it) but he got neither that evening. Right before that, he watched Danni pick on a teen to battle. From the looks of their behavior afterwards-the other teen's, at least-Danni had won. Only looking at Danni, though, no one would have guessed that outcome.

"Oi, Ruon?"

Ruon spazzed out again, frantically searching for the owner of the high pitched, girly voice.

"Maru? What are you doing here?"

The blonde girl chuckled. "I was going to ask the same of you."

Ruon barely noticed Tigrerra slip back inside his bakugan pocket. "What _does _bring you here?"

"Shopping," Maru said, holding up two-no, surprisingly many-grocery bags.

"Usually do the shopping for your parents?" Ruon questioned.

Maru simply laughed. Her sparkling light blue eyes gazing at Ruon. "I didn't know that you usually hang around the park."

"I don't," Ruon said, ignoring the fact that Maru completely ignored his question. "And today I'm creeping."

Maru laughed again, and Ruon thought, _for the win! _Maru was always in her bubbly mood, and ready to laugh. Despite some people saying that she went over the line with laughing, Ruon felt pride when he did. Anyone would, frankly.

"I've got to go," Maru said, after a few moments of (awkward?) silence.

Ruon leapt up. "Let me help you?"

"With what?" Maru asked, looking genuinely unsure. "I can find my own way home."

"With the bags, silly." Ruon reached for some of the plastic bags.

"No, bye," Maru said, taking off at a brisk canter.

"Come back, here!" Ruon grinned, racing after her. He chased her for a while, when suddenly Maru came crashing down.

"Maru!" Ruon exclaimed.

"Ow…"

"Genius," Ruon said sarcastically, "what did you do?"

"Tripped," mumbled Maru. The grocery loot had rolled all across the grassy ground. Ruon scrambled with Maru to collect them all. Ruon gave her a bag, and carried the rest himself. He set off, without looking back at first.

"Ruon?"

The blue haired boy arched an eyebrow at the short girl. "Eh?"

"Thanks!"

Ruon grinned as he allowed Maru to catch up to him. It was dark by the time Ruon and Maru walked all the way to her mansion.

"I keep telling my parents to get me a bike basket," Maru said. "I suppose they've just forgotten to tell someone to get one."

"Or I could just help you," Ruon laughed.

Maru looked up at Ruon, gratitude in her eyes. "Thanks," she said, "but you would have gotten bored soon. Once a favor, more than twice, a habit."

Ruon looked at Maru, cocking his head. "Never heard that one before."

"I made it up."

The cook, most likely, opened the kitchen door for Maru, and gathered the bags from her.

"You went? It's night time! That was dangerous!" the nice looking old lady exclaimed.

"I was with her," Ruon said, surprised by his boldness. He hadn't really talked to Maru's family's "staff" ever. Wasn't a need to, he supposed. The cook looked at him, scrutinizing, as if decided whether he was enough protection for her young mistress.

"I told James I would go for him." Maru said, glancing up at Ruon.

"That old idiot," the cook muttered. "Always trying to get out of work."

"That's not true, he's nice!"

"Nice, lazy, fat-"

"Go inside, Gen, please," Maru begged. The cook obliged.

"Well, I'll go," Ruon said softly to Maru. She looked up at him.

"Thanks," she said, throwing her arms around his waist. He patted her in response.

"Bye!" he said, turning away. The light from Maru's house receded, as Maru closed the door behind her.

_Another late night arrival at my house, _Ruon thought, the dark night changing his mood again. Maru's bubbly personality seemed to light up the night, but when she was gone, everything was just as dark and gloomy.

Ruon felt Tigrerra stirring in his pocket. He felt around for him, and brought him out.

"You're slayin' 'em, big guy!"

Ruon slammed Tigrerra back in his pocket, his mouth in a thin line to keep from grinning.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Danni! Danni! WAKE THE BUCK UP!"

Danni screamed and sat up with a start.

"Finally, you useless human."

"Hey, watch it!" Danni heard Dragini's familiar voice. "You seem to forget that she's _my _human!"

"Oh… so sorry…"

"What's going on?" Danni asked, looking from Dragini to the small blue bakugan ball (open, as Dragini was) next to her.

"It's horrible news," Dragini said urgently. "Wavern was captured by Niga and Masquerade yesterday!"

"Oh no! We have to save her!" Danni agreed.

"We have to leave now!" the blue bakugan yelled, scrambling around Danni's entire room. Danni's eyes were wide in amazement at the bakugan's energy.

"Call a brawler meeting _now_," Dragini said.

"Oi?" Danni asked. "It's too early."

"It's noon."

"Wavern's been in trouble for so long!" the blue bakugan screeched.

"Preyas, calm down," Dragini said. "Go tell Marucho of this, and get him to call a meeting. I'll get Danni to do the same."

"Okay, bye, Dragini! Love you!"

Dragini exclaimed in surprise. The bakugan cackled; he practically fell out of Danni's window and his laughter turned into shrieks of terror.

"Who is this guy?" Danni asked.

"Weirdo, don't worry," Dragini muttered.

"So we should trust him?" Danni asked.

"Yes, wholeheartedly."

Danni did not feel comfortable putting her life in the hands of a weirdo. But she did that every day, anyway. Weren't all her friends weirdos?

Danni got ready quicker than she usually did when she _felt _this sluggish. She barely glanced at herself in the mirror: yellow undershirt, red tailored cropped jacket, cargo shorts, and black sneakers. "OKAI!" she yelled at herself.

"Just go," Dragini scowled.

"Isn't this horrible news-such horrible news-can you believe this-I can't believe this-it's almost as if the sky fell down-oooh, wouldn't that be bad-we should just-"

"Preyas, shut up," Shuna's bakugan, the Ventus Skyrim, nicknamed Skyrim, snapped.

"Who is Niga again?" Julian asked Danni.

"Dragini's boyfriend's twin."

"What boyfriend?" Tigrerra asked, jumping out of Ruon's pocket.

"What twin?" Skyrim fluttered down to where Dragini was settled.

"He means Wavern," Dragini exclaimed.

"Oh, Wavern has a twin?" Shuna asked in interest.

"Oooh, Dragini has a boyfriend?" Preyas cackled.

Tigrerra laughed.

"So why is Wavern important?" Maru asked, "no offense, Dragini," she said quickly.

"None…taken…." Dragini grumbled.

"Wavern defends the Infinity core!" Skyrim said.

"Well, she has to now," Dragini said, "because Niga is trying to absorb the Infinity Core AND the Silent Core."

"What are those core thingies?" Julian asked.

"They keep the peace and balance in the worlds," Dragini said.

"What is Niga trying to do?" Shuna asked.

"He's …" Dragini stammered. "He's trying to create a new world-destroy the human world _and _bakugan worlds."

"Evil dude," Shuna commented.

"You don't say?" Dragini asked.

"THIS IS SO HORRIBLE!" Preyas screamed.

"Wait a minute, how did _you _become the first one to know about it?" Skyrim asked suspiciously.

Everyone looked at Preyas.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Okay, let's blow some stuff up!" Tigrerra roared. "YEAH!"

Dragini stepped back and hopped on Danni's shoulder. "Quick, we have to secure the place before Tigrerra gets there."

Tigrerra looked up. "Hey-hey-I was just-"

"Save it, kitty," Dragini said. "Onward, Brawlers! Let's save Vestroia!"

"YEAH!"

"THE INFINITY CORE AND THE SILENT CORE! ARE MINE! MUAHAHAHA-"

"Hey, you said that you'd share!"

Niga looked at Masquerade in horror. "Well, we both-along with Hal-G of course, are ruling the worlds together."

"And creating new epic worlds," Masquerade added.

"Yeah, bro," Niga said.

"Whoa, what's that?" Masquerade whirled around at the bright portal of light.

"We have come to stop you!" Dragini yelled through the portal.

"Oh, no, not the freakshow again!" Masquerade whined.

"It's never completely without you," Julian said flashing a bright grin.

"I supposed we have to battle now," Shuna groaned, facepalming.

"Let me at 'em," Tigrerra growled.

"Oooh, someone's a bit excited," Niga said in an oddly high pitched voice.

"Okay, Niga, go ahead with the plan," Masquerade said. "I'll finish this off."

"Ahahaha, there's no way you can defeat us all," Danni cackled, the five friends stepping forward together dramatically.

"Together!" Maru cried.

Masquerade laughs echoed around the battlefield. Shrieks sounded as rushes of black magic shot up to separate the friends. "Danni!" Julian screamed. "Gee, thanks for ignoring the rest of us," Ruon shot back. "Where are you?" Maru cried. "We can do this," Danni replied to them all. "Just calm down, and-"

"Hey, there!"

Danni gasped and turned around. She saw a big, muscled blonde boy. He was smiling at her creepily.

"You won't answer me? Well. Maybe you like to battle more than you like to talk."

"I don't like this guy one bit," Dragini said. She was practically glowing with fury.

"Me either," Danni agreed. "Well, let's get this over with…?"

"Danni?" Julian cried again. This time, the brown haired girl didn't answer. Julian looked around, not seeing anyone. _Of course they split us up, _he thought. _As if bad guys have no better plan then that. _He couldn't help but think, _maybe because it always works…_

"My, my, don't we have other things on our mind?"

Julian whipped around. He blinked in surprise. He couldn't believe it. "Chan Lee?"

The red suited Asian girl narrowed her dark brown eyes. "None other. It's you, Julian. We haven't met in a long time. You were much shorter last time I saw you."

"You, too."

Chan Lee let out a cold laugh. "No, I haven't grown much. I was taller than you, remember?"

Julian remembered. "So…" he asked. "How is this going to work? We just have to find each other…"

Chan Lee raised an eyebrow. "Hm. Ever anxious to get to your friends. Perhaps one in particular?"

_Of course, _Julian thought. On the outside, he just put on a smile. "You're my friend, too, right? We're together."

"We haven't spoken in years," Chan Lee stated.

"That… is correct," Julian said, "but we couldn't have-we-"

"Right," Chan Lee said dryly. "I moved. You and I both have computers. There was nothing stopping you. Except… your memory."

Julian's mouth was in a grim line. "So, what do I have to do to find my friends?"

"You have to get past me."

"Simple, enough. You'd let me," Julian said, really just testing to see what Chan's reaction was.

"Hm." Chan Lee stared at Julian levelly. "And why would I do that?"

"We're… friends…" Julian said lamely.

"I'm bored," Chan Lee snapped. "Let's battle."

"Why, we don't have to-"

"Oh, yes we do," Chan Lee said.

"Why are you on their side?" Julian asked. "They are trying to destroy two worlds!"

"Stop talking and start battling!" Chan snarled. She has a card in between her fingers. She launched it like a ninja star. "Gate card, set!"

_Holy figs, here we go._

"Hello, there. Welcome."

Maru automatically turned to the owner of the voice and curtsied. "Thank you for your hospitality. Everything reflects your exquisite taste."

"Becoming a bit robotic, are we?"

Maru finally got a good look at the person she was speaking to. He was tall (a bit handsome, she had to admit) had silver hair and was in a gray suit.

"I-what?" Maru asked, in a quite unladylike manner.

The boy chuckled. "You don't remember me, do you?"

"Pardon?"

"It was such a long time ago. We only met once."

"And you remember me?' Maru couldn't believe her ears. She had... made that much of an impression on someone? And all the "friends" her parents forced her to make with all their friends' children…they were all so accomplished, when all Maru could do was be average at all the things they excelled at. So, she never stood out. It was always the tall ones, the pretty ones… Maru sighed, staring up at this… gentlemanly boy, who was, at the moment, staring back at her.

"Excuse me, how terribly rude of me; I am Klaus von Hertzon. And you must be Marukira Choji, if I'm not mistake."

"You are correct," Maru stammered.

"It pains me to inform you that I have orders to battle you."

"Order from who?" Maru asked.

"That is, I regret, not information for me disclose," Klaus said, looking genuinely apologetic.

"So, we have to battle?" Maru asked.

"Yes."

"Then… ladies first?" Maru asked.

"!"

Ruon looked around him, seeing flashes of green everywhere, but not able to make out the shape.

"Can you calm down?" Ruon asked. "You are almost worse than Maru's Preyas!"

The shape stopped. "Preyas? Interesting!"

Ruon whipped around, hearing the voice come from behind him. "Who the buck are you?" Ruon asked in disgust.

The green flashes were a short boy with huge dark brown eyes, a green hat, and dark brown hair sticking out from under it. "I'm Komba," the thing said. "And I'm here to battle you."

"This is just great," Ruon groaned. "How do I get to my friends? We don't have to do this the hard way."

"OH, YES WE DO!" Tigrerra growled from his shoulder.

"Shut up!" Ruon whispered to the Haos bakugan.

"I like that one," the dark skinned boy across from him commented.

"Well, no one asked you, and you can't even have him, anyway," Ruon snapped.

"We'll see about that…"

Ruon's eyes flashed. _I hate that kid, _Ruon realized. And the battle began.

Shuna's dark hair was whipped around by the wind. She watched Masquerade smirk at her.

"It's you and I, then," he said.

"Well , obviously," Shuna retorted. "Do you see anyone else around?"

"The question is, will you ever see anyone else around?" Masquerade said softly.

"If you're not totally delusional, then I would say, heck yeah, I'm going to see my friends. You're never going to see your stupid minions again because my friends are going to defeat them. But you are insane because defeating someone in a bakugan battle doesn't kill the other person!"

"How do you know I was talking about your friends?" Masquerade asked.

Then Shuna realized what he was hinting at. "Why did you even make that?"

"That's for you to never know," Masquerade smiled.

"Come on, let's get this over with," Shuna yelled. She flipped a card between her fingers, throwing it like it was a ninja star. "Gate card, set!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Danni felt the gust from the flames warm her face to uncomfortable temperatures. It didn't burn her; instead, it seemed to strengthen her. The black space around her, with bits of all the Bakugan element realms represented in their colors, twinkled, seeming to smile at her. Pyrus Robotallion was on fire, literally and figuratively. Julio was practically cowering in fear! Haos Centipod's attacks were practically useless against Robotallion's awesome power surge.

"Keep it up, Robby," Danni yelled. The armored bakugan acknowledged her in its ferocious yell at the Subterra bug.

Julio scuttled around more fiercely than ever. He was waving his arms around frantically. "Come on, Centipod, get up! We've got to beat this chick!"

Danni cackled, the fire raging around her powerfully.

"Don't lose your head, Danni," Dragini cautioned from Danni's shoulder.

"I'm not," Danni smirked. "We have to save the cores anyway, right?"

"There is no anyway to this," Dragini muttered.

Danni shot her a _stop being such a downer _look.

Dragini ignored it. "I hope you friends are doing okay," she lamented.

"They're probably crushing the competition," Danni answered, as she got ready to send in the game-ending attack card.

"For Vestroia!" Danni yelled.

"This is too fricking easy," Ruon yelled, mostly to get the small bushy haired kid mad. He was such an annoying brat, but the whole situation was kind of amusing. Mostly because Ruon was winning.

Tigrerra roared in approval. "YEAH!"

Komba was skittering around, freaking out big time. His hand was on hit hat to keep it firmly in place. "No, El Condor! Not you, too!"

"What else ya got?" Ruon tossed his Monarus up and down threateningly. _'Cause whatever else it is, I'll be ready._

The bakugan battle world seemed to be closing in on Maru, making her suffocate. She couldn't see clearly. Her Aquos Limulus was screeching in pain as it disappeared into the dangerous black portal that led to the Doom Dimension.

"Bye, Limulus," she whispered. "I'm sorry that I failed you."

"Oh, not another one," Klaus said from the other side of the battle field. "Pity."

Maru's long eyelashes fluttered rapidly. She picked up another blue bakugan ball. It clicked open, and Aquos Preyas looked up at her expectantly. He was ready for action.

"Maru!-oh, no-are you okay-"

"Limulus," Maru choked out, unable to say anything else.

Preyas caught on immediately. "We've got to avenge him!" Preyas cried. "Let me at 'em!"

"Be careful," Maru sniffed.

"I'll be fine," Preyas assured her. "Let me in!"

Maru shook her head. "O-okay. Bakugan, brawl! Preyas, stand!"

Julian's bones rattled. The temperature seemed to have suddenly dropped to subzero. Ironically, Chan Lee's bakugan were blazing brighter than ever. The Asian's eyes gleamed with the reflection of her bakugan's flames.

"What's wrong, Julian?" she called, as his Tuskor rolled to his feet in defeat. "Given up already?"

"Can I see my friends now?" Julian dodged.

"Sorry, not yet." Chan Lee didn't sound very sorry at all.

"Then, no, of course not!" Julian set his jaw. "Bakugan, brawl! Gorem, stand!"

The bakugan realm seemed to swirl around Shuna, making it hard to stand. Falconeer, Monaurus, and even Skyrim lay at his feet, curled into vulnerable positions. She blinked at them-apologetic and confused.

"It was interesting, battling with you," Masquerade smiled. "_Not_. You didn't deserve to be ranked 1st. But of course, I took care of that just now. As usual."

Shuna felt the temperature around her rise, but she forced her expression to stay neutral.

"The world has been righted," Masquerade continued.

"No Doom Dimension card today?" Shuna interrupted. "What happened, is it low on battery?"

Masquerade was already turning around and walking away, slowly disappearing into a portal.

"Hey-answer me!" Shuna shrieked after him. The blonde boy just held up a hand in farewell. Shuna bared her teeth. She wanted to follow him-but did she really? Who knew what hole he hid in when he wasn't out ruining bakugan's innocent lives. Bending down to scoop up her bakugan, her mind tried to wrap around what just happened. _I…lost._

Julio had run away-disappeared into a different portal of some sort. Danni hoped it was a Doom Dimension for humans. Stinglash and Mantris were gone. But Dragini was safe. Julio was defeated. All was _supposed_ to be good. Yet… Well. Whatever. Danni looked around, wondering where she could find her friends.

"Danni?"

She turned, and was happy to see a familiar face. Ruon was running up to her.

"What happened?" she asked, rocking back and forth on her tennis shoes.

"Won, of course," he snorted. His turquoise colored hair was a bit more mussed than usual. There was a light pink color under his cheeks wasn't in Danni's "official" memory file of him. Tigrerra hopped out of his pocket and onto his shoulder, apparently wanting to join the conversation.

"It was EPIC," the white tiger bakugan put in.

"So was I," Danni grinned.

"Anyone else back yet?" the blue haired boy looked around as he asked.

Danni shook her head.

"You worried?" Ruon asked after staring at her for a bit.

Danni shrugged. "Maybe."

Ruon cleared his throat, and looked at the ground beside his feet. "They'll be fine, I'm sure."

"I sure hope so."

Ruon didn't say anything.

Tigrerra looked from Ruon to Danni, then back to his brawler. "So, we wait?" he asked in his cat-growl.

Julian hung his head. Chan Lee had left without a word-no gloating, nothing. It almost made him feel worse. In her eyes was a feral glint, but Julian didn't have much time to mull over it. Chan Lee disappeared into a portal without much ado, leaving Julian to wallow in his defeat.

The white haired boy gently picked up his bakugan. "I'm sorry, guys," he whispered. "I…"

"Julian?"

Navy eyes wide in surprise at the faint yell, the tan boy whipped around. Danni and Ruon were running towards him. The brown haired girl's eyes were bright, and her mouth-in a grim line-was determined. Her very aura seemed victorious-and eager. Ruon looked about the same. Julian couldn't think of a time when he didn't want to be near Danni. This moment was the first.

"Who was your opponent?" Danni grilled.

"Chan Lee."

"Who's that?" Ruon snorted.

"One of the best ranked players, as of, like, yesterday." Danni recalled. Suddenly, she stared at Julian with new worry. "You battled against _her_?"

"That couldn't have ended well," Ruon said grimly.

Danni socked him in the gut.

"Oww-what the-"

"Are you okay? Your bakugan-" Danni's red brown eyes glittered with worry. Julian would have felt so warm inside, so loved, at any other time. _Nothing else would have evoked such a reaction, _he realized, feeling defeated yet again.

"My bakugan…are okay."

Danni threw her arms around him. "I-I'm sorry…"

Julian was taken aback. He couldn't even respond.

Danni jumped about five feet away, looking increasingly awkward. "Ah-well-hehehe, I guess-"

"Both of you just shut the heck up," Ruon scowled.

"Let them have their moment," Dragini said from Danni's shirt pocket.

"_Dragini_," Danni gasped. "There is no-what-I-"

"The suspense!" Julian cut in, extremely awkwardly. "Where are the others?" The three brawlers looked around for their friends.

Ruon cupped his hands around his mouth. "You guys, just win already!"

Then, the blue haired boy suddenly seemed very engrossed in something that was happening very far away. "What's that?" he asked. Danni couldn't see a thing about what he was talking about, so she just turned to Julian, about to ask him a question.

"Oi-Ruon, where are you going?" Julian yelled. Danni whirled around again, and of course, Ruon was sprinting at full speed away from them, towards some mystery event.

Danni facepalmed. They had just got Julian back, and now-"Hey, get back here!"

"Maru, tell everyone I love them."

"Nooo, Preyas! You can't-"

"Stop making it harder for me! I can't bear this! The world NEEDS ME!"

Maru didn't stop bawling. Preyas was gone. The Doom Dimension portal had just closed on her beloved Aquos guardian bakugan-forever.

"Give him back to me," Maru begged, on her knees by now.

"I'm sorry," Klaus said rather coldly. "But I can't. The Doom Dimension is what it is."

Maru sobbed. She tried to wipe her tears (but it was no use, she still couldn't dry her cheeks). She looked up at Klaus, her eyes searching his face, for an answer, for an emotion, _something_. "Why did you do this to me?"

Klaus just closed his eyes and looked away without an answer. He turned his back to her and walked towards a portal that opened up before him.

"No!" Maru shrieked. (The world suddenly turned slow-motion; Maru's tears glistened in the battle dimension's light. All she could see was Klaus's back, in his mauve, crisply pressed overcoat as she ran towards him. She didn't hear a voice call her name. She didn't notice a boy run up right behind her and follow her into the portal. Most of all, she didn't notice the small smile that played across Klaus's thin lips.)


End file.
